As of Sunday, February 28, 2021, Montana reports 99,954 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 119 new cases reported in the last day: 32 in Flathead County, 22 in Gallatin County, 18 in Missoula County, 15 in Silver Bow County, and more new cases in 13 more Montana counties. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 1,615. Currently, 68 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. The most active cases are in Yellowstone, Flathead, and Gallatin Counties. 1,357 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Nationwide, more than 512,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 28,600,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

The United States is poised to get a third coronavirus vaccine — this one made by Johnson & Johnson. The US Food and Drug Administration has given the vaccine emergency use authorization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended it, and the federal government is scheduled to start distribution almost immediately. Two vaccines are already being distributed in the US — one made by Moderna and another made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech. The new vaccine, made by Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine division, is a little different. Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine is designed to be given as a single dose, whereas The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are both designed to be given in a two-dose series — the Pfizer vaccine three weeks apart and Moderna’s four weeks apart. And Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine can be kept at simple refrigerator temperatures for up to three months, making it far easier to store and ship, compared to the other two vaccines which must be stored, shipped, and kept at sub-zero temperatures.

Traffic on Interstate 90 just east of Billings was halted Saturday in both directions just before noon by a multi-vehicle pileup. The crash involved about 30 vehicles on the bridge crossing the Yellowstone River near mile marker 452. No fatalities have been reported. Billings Fire Department Chief Jason Lyon, who served as the incident commander, said, “I would say this is the largest pileup, and winter-time accident, that I’ve seen in my nearly 20 years with the fire department.” The wreck occurred in the westbound lane, with damaged cars, trucks and SUVs spanning almost half of the bridge. Traffic was backed up for several miles in both directions. I-90 from the South 27th Street entrance in Billings to the I-94 split near Johnson Lane was closed for nearly three hours while crews cleared the bridge of wrecked vehicles. Lyon said that the crash resulted in four people being taken to the hospital. Three suffered minor injuries, and a fourth person is being treated for serious but non-life threatening injuries. Two people were transported off the bridge by a Lockwood Fire District ambulance, while two others fell from bridge. Lyon estimated the fall to be about 100 feet, and both were found and treated by medical crews. The suspected cause of the crash was ice on the Yellowstone River Bridge.